This week, off the back of a blockbuster week including Batman v. Superman and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, we have a quiet selection of releases – Sherpa and Labyrinth of Lies.

Sherpa – A brawl on Everest? Director Jennifer Peedom set out to uncover tension in the 2014 Everest climbing season from the Sherpas’ point of view and instead captured a tragedy when an avalanche struck, killing 16 Sherpas. Sherpa tells the story of how the Sherpas united after the tragedy in the face of fierce opposition, to reclaim the mountain they call Chomolungma. This is an admirably balanced film that offers a provocative document of a high-altitude worker’s rights movement which eventually led to a drastic reappraisal of the role of the Sherpas, and how, through grief and unity, this spiritual people managed to reclaim professional respect. It is breathtaking, and you can find further thoughts at the link.

Labyrinth of Lies – Upon learning that many former Nazis returned to their pre-war lives with no penalty, an ambitious German prosecutor (Alexander Fehling) vows to bring them to justice.

Weekly Recommendation – While Labyrinth sounds fascinating Sherpa is the one you want to make the time to see in the cinema. We still haven’t caught up with the well-reviewed Kung-Fu Panda 3, so apart from that it will likely be a quiet weekend at the cinema.

In 2013 a brawl between Sherpas and client climbers at the 21,000ft base camp of Mount Everest made news headlines. The Sherpas, an ethnic group of people living in the Himalayas, have been popularised as calm, cooperative and optimistic people who were always willing to assist foreign climbers achieve their dreams of reaching the Everest summit. But, something had made the Sherpa’s express an unusual emotion – anger. A serious verbal insult, in addition to the clearer realisation that their irreplaceable services were being exploited as the industry continues to boom, and the fact that their assignment of the highest proportion of risk was not being compensated. Add in their dismay at the escalating desecration of Everest’s sacred and natural wonders as a result of heavy expedition traffic, and this was enough to send a few over the edge when disrespected and provoked.Continue reading »